CO-OP/INTERNSHIP GUIDELINES
Clark College Co-operative Education
1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, WA 98663 MS PUB 002
Thank you for your interest in the Internship Program at Clark College. Your investment of time and energy on
behalf of the student can be both rewarding and beneficial to your company. We in Career Services have
developed a comprehensive program to meet the needs of the faculty, student and employer. We are excited
about the opportunity to work with you!
Clark College has chosen to adopt the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) guidelines
regarding the criteria used to evaluate the legitimacy of an internship position, revised July 2011. Contact us
for the complete description.
Briefly, the internship must meet the following criteria.
To ensure that an experience—whether it is a traditional internship or one conducted remotely or virtually—is
educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship by the NACE definition, all the following
criteria must be met:
1. The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for
applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the
employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
2. The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
3. The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
4. There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s
academic coursework.
5. There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background
in the field of the experience.
6. There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
7. There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning
objectives/goals.
If these criteria are followed, it is the opinion of NACE that the experience can be considered a legitimate
internship.
Compensation:
Internships may be paid (at least minimum wage) or unpaid. It has been our experience that the paid positions
fill more quickly. Unpaid internships are stringently reviewed to confirm that they meet the above guidelines,
follow the documentation process of the Internship program and qualify for academic credit.
Posting Positions:
Please submit your internship position description. We will review and approve it for posting if it meets our
criteria. Be sure to include:
 Hourly wage or state “Unpaid”
 Location of the actual work and the duration of the position
* An intern cannot be considered an independent contractor (because the employer exercises control over
the result to be accomplished and manner by which the result is achieved).
As you know, Clark College has a great pool of talented students. Our goal is to help you connect with them
and to provide a mutually beneficial experience for everyone involved.
For more information, please contact Brianna Lisenbee, the Internship and Job Developer at
360.992.2964 or at blisenbee@clark.edu MS PUB 002